Cooperative Extension Service Breckinridge County 1377 S. Hwy 261 Hardinsburg, KY 40143 (270) 756-2182 Fax: (270) 756-9016 https://breckinridge.ca.uky.edu

Breckinridge County AG Newsletter

Agent’s Corner It is truly amazing how good the crops look throughout the county. I would say

the least of the crops that did not fair very well with the late spring cool rain

would be the pasture and hay fields. I have read numerous articles on the idea

that the hay crop is going to be short this year, all across the state, so I have al-

ready been advising people to find the hay you are going to buy and purchase it

and then run a hay test through our office to determine when and what animals

you are going to feed your bought hay to. We have the hay testing probes, if you

need one come by and put down a deposit; then we will send it off for you. Be-

fore you get ready to feed it, we will go over what feed rations are needed.

I know I am preaching to the choir, but please make sure everyone in your family

knows the dangers of farm equipment on the road. The past couple of weeks, I

have been out in the area of Rough River Lake. Traffic was a nightmare but

when you add in a few farm tractors, wagons, implements and sprayers, I don’t

know how anyone could head out of their driveway each day knowing that they

are going to face it to get back and forth. My soap box today is not for the casual

driver that may not pull over, it’s for the one pulling or driving equipment on the

small county and state roads of Breckinridge County. I thought we were doing

our part in keeping safe with farm implements but more times than not, I have

met the implement-self propelled sprayer to the tractor and hay baler that were

not doing one simple thing-utilizing a FLAGGER! I don’t care if you have to

wait another 30 minutes for mom or spouse or even a neighbor to show up to

help you flag. Without an escort, you have no chance in court pleading your

case. I know people blow through an escort and then they are faced with an

oversized load staring them in the face, but at least you have done your part in

trying to keep everyone safe. Sorry for my time on the Soap Box, but I can’t

stand to lose another life to farm related preventable accident.

Sincerely,

Carol M. Hinton Extension Agent For Agricultural/Natural Resources EducationBreckinridge County

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Page

Agent’s Corner 1

Grayson Co Beef Field Day 2-3

UK Corn, Soybean & Tobacco Field Day

4

Prevent Disease in Your Roses 4

Farmers’ Produce Market 5

Blast from the Past 6

Tick Season is Underway 7

Adult Health Bulletin 8-9

Rinse & Return Program 10

Variety Trial Flower Garden 10

Spray Clinic Pre-Registration Open

10

Monthly Tip 11

Squash Supreme Recipe 11

Recycling Program 12

Office Closed 12

Almanac Tidbits for June 12

Mark your Calendar 12

Like us on Facebook

Please remember your mothers on Father’s Day, June 17th!.

2

3

Grayson County Beef Field Day Directions

4

UK Research and Education Center News 1205 Hopkinsville Rd. Princeton, KY

UK Corn, Soybean and Tobacco Field Day will be held on Tuesday, July 24, 2018.

Contact the UKREC receptionist at 270-365-7541 ext 0 to learn about meetings that are upcoming.

This is a Breckinridge County CAIP approved meeting. Be sure to register in and take a selfie picture of you at the field day on one of the tours and text to Carol @270-617-3417.

Prevent Disease in Your Roses Source: Nicole Ward Gauthier, Plant Pathology Extension Associate Professor

Spectacular blooms and diverse types and varieties make roses a favorite of many Kentucky gardeners. However, warm, humid growing conditions create an ideal environment for serious problems each year with black spot and powdery mildew.

Gardeners can nip these fungal diseases in the bud by planting resistant or tolerant varieties and creating an unfavorable environment for disease development. It may be necessary to use fungicides throughout the summer, especially on susceptible varieties.

The University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service has materials on resistant and tolerant varie-ties. Nursery catalogues also publish this information.

To reduce foliar diseases, try to avoid conditions where rose leaves remain wet for an extended period of time. Do not wet foliage when watering plants and allow sufficient time for leaves to dry before nighttime. Prune shading vegetation from overhanging trees and provide space between rose bushes to improve ventila-tion and sunlight penetration.

Sanitation also is important for managing rose diseases. If you have not already removed and destroyed old leaves, winter-damaged canes and debris, do it as soon as possible. These items are a source of disease-causing organisms.

Many fungicides are labeled to control rose diseases. Always check the label to be sure the product con-trols black spot and powdery mildew, and read and follow application instructions. To maintain disease sup-pression, repeat fungicide applications at 10- to 14-day intervals throughout the growing season.

Black spot produces dark, circular spots with fringed borders on the top or bottom of leaves. Infected leaves often turn yellow and drop, reducing flower numbers and quality.

White, powdery fungal growth is a sign of powdery mildew. It is easy to locate on such plant surfaces as leaves, stems and buds. Infected leaves may be small and deformed.

Two other important, but less common, foliar diseases of roses are downy mildew and rust. Downy mil-dew produces lesions that are an off-color, later turning purplish-brown. It leads to defoliation. Rust-colored spots on leaves and stems indicate, rust. Severely infected leaves may shrivel and turn brown.

Another summertime disease is rose rosette, which affects roses throughout Kentucky. It is not a fungal disease.

This disease is spread by a microscopic mite. The primary host is multiflora rose, a thorny plant native to Asia and introduced into the United States as a conservation plant and “living fence.” The disease also affects cultivated roses.

Early symptoms are increased growth of shoots, which appear more succulent than normal and develop excessive thorns, and distorted, dwarfed leaves. The affected shoots are not winter hardy and produce few blooms. Rose plants eventually die.

Early disease detection is essential to keep rose rosette from spreading. Remove and destroy any infected roses to keep the disease from healthy plants nearby. Carefully remove diseased plants to avoid scattering dis-ease-carrying mites to other plants. Since multiflora roses might be a disease reservoir, remove and destroy any located within one-eighth of a mile from the rose bed.

For more information on growing roses, contact the Breckinridge County Cooperative Extension Service.

5

6

Blast from the Past

Dr. Roy Burris, Beef Extension Professor, University of Kentucky

It was 1974 and I had just started my career as a beef cattle researcher for Mississippi State University. I was part of projects on grazing systems and crossbreeding but was also starting a new project on finishing cattle in south Mississippi. We were in the process of building a research feedlot but I needed to get something going right away. Fortunately, at that time, finishing cattle on grass was receiving a lot of attention in the southern region. Since I had ryegrass and cattle, one of my first trials was “Finishing Steers on Ryegrass-clover Pastures with Supplemental Grain”. Some of the things that we learned then are still relevant 42 years later.

Steers were grazed for 150 days during the winter and received either (1) no grain, (2) one percent bodyweight (BW) of cracked corn throughout, or (3) cracked corn the last 64 days. Dr. Neil Bradley (UK) always said that it takes 20 bushels of corn to “finish” cattle. One percent BW for 150 days would be in that range. Grain fed calves did tend to marble better and have greater fat thickness and yield grades.

My first “problem” was that a local producer told my boss that cracked corn was too low in protein for the steers to gain. I patiently explained (nah, I didn’t) that since the ryegrass-clover was very high in protein, they needed energy to fatten - not protein. But I did learn that most producers are hung up on crude protein levels when buying feed and pay little attention to energy levels. That is still true today.

The steers (shown in the picture) don’t look much like cattle do now. These steers were not straight black or large framed. In fact they were harvested at 900 lbs.! Marbling is, to a large degree, a function of maturity. In other words, once a calve stops growing, it then begins to lay on external and, hopefully, internal fat (marbling). Thus, early maturing (smaller framed) cattle might work better for forage diets. Cattle on this trial averaged slight-plus marbling (enough to grade USDA Select plus). As I bred the cattle for more size and growth, it became more difficult to maintain marbling ability. We now look for those “outliers” that possess extra marbling ability.

Breeders, in my humble opinion, seem to sometimes get caught up in breeding for “outliers” instead of breeding for efficiency and uniformity and in the pro-cess may lose some of the functionality of the cow herd. I know it sounds trivial and simple but you, or your source of breeding animals, should rear them under similar conditions in which you expect their offspring to be productive. Farm planners say “fit each acre to its best use” and I say fit your breeding program to the intended purpose for your cattle.

What about yellow fat on pasture cattle? Fat color in this trial averaged creamy white instead of yellow. Other workers had reported that yellow fat was not a big problem when grazing winter annual pastures like ryegrass. When the T-bone, round and rib-eyes from these steers were placed in supermarkets and grouped to-gether (not mixed with feedlot beef), their sales showed no reluctance of consumers to purchase cattle finished on winter pasture.

I soon learned that the problem with building a market for pasture-fed beef is the seasonality of supply. Ideal-ly, grazing should be year-round so that cattle can be harvested weekly throughout the year. We need to re-think finishing on fescue and look at other grasses and legumes so that we can approach year-round grazing on high quality forages.

Finally, I have also learned that there is no problem with niche markets. Whatever you can do to successfully market your product is great. We don’t dictate what people eat – we fill orders. Simple as that. If the consum-ing public demands beef produced on grass or in the feedlot or any other way, we can supply them. Hopefully we do it at a profit so that our operations are sustainable. Something to think about – we need our domestic demand for beef to be strong enough that we can always be sustainable - because foreign markets can’t always be relied upon.

7

Tick Season Is Underway Source: KY Pest News posted on May 22, 2018 by Lee Townsend UK Extension Entomologist

Tick season is underway, so it is important to take precautions to protect yourself from bites.

Check yourself every 2 hours while in areas were ticks are known or likely to be present and very thoroughly after return-

ing home from work or other outdoor activities. Common places to find ticks are behind the knees, around the waist, un-

der arms, and on neck and head.

Several effective precautions will reduce exposure.

• Wear a repellent; products containing DEET are particularly effective.

• A spray-on clothing treatment containing permethrin is good to use when in places where ticks are likely to be abundant.

• Avoid walking through tall grass and brushy areas along fence lines or adjacent to woods.

• Wear light-colored clothing so ticks are easy to spot.

• Check pets when they come in from outdoors.

Figure 1. A Female American dog tick (left) can be recognized by her short mouthparts and the mottled white markings on her back. The female lone star tick (right) has long mouthparts (Photo: Lee Townsend, UK)

Ticks and Disease

The lone star tick and the American dog tick are the most common species found in the state. Their bites usually are just

an itchy nuisance, but these ticks can also carry diseases. Fortunately, only a very small percentage of these ticks are in-

fected.

The adult female lone star tick has a white spot on its back and can carry erlichiosis. Its saliva, injected during feeding,

may cause some people to develop a “red meat allergy,” a condition diagnosed more often as its awareness increases.

American dog ticks (reddish-brown with mottled white markings on their backs) have the potential to carry spotted fever.

In addition, the blacklegged tick, which is becoming more common in the state, is the vector of Lyme disease.

Prevention and Removal

Prevention is the key to reducing the chance of being bitten by a tick. Even then, it is almost inevitable that some will get

past protective efforts. Then, prompt removal of attached ticks reduces the chance of infection if the tick is carrying a dis-

ease.

• Use fine-tipped tweezers to remove an attached tick.

• Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible

• Remove it with a gentle, steady pull.

• Wash the bite area and your hands.

• Apply an antiseptic to the bite site to protect the wound from infection.

Figure 2. Unfed

lone star tick

nymph is about

1/16 inch long

(Photo: Lee

Townsend, UK)

Figure 3. Engorged lone star tick

nymph is about 1/8 inch long.

This stage feeds for 3 to 8 days

before dropping to the ground to

digest its blood meal and molt to

the adult stage, a process that

takes 5 to 6 weeks. (Photo: Lee

Townsend, UK)

8

9

10

2018 Spray Clinic Pre-Registration Open

The University of Kentucky Field School will be hosting a Spray Clinic on July 17 at the University of Ken-tucky Research and Education Center in Princeton, KY. The spray clinic will feature in-field demonstrations and an interactive experience for clinic participants.

Topics covered in the clinic include nozzle selection for herbicide applications, herbicide drift management, considerations for fungicide applications, sprayer cleanout, sprayer safety on the road, nozzle nomenclature, and overviews of latest spray technology.

Speakers at the event will include Dr. Tim Stombaugh, Dr. Carl Bradley, Dr. Kiersten Wise, and Dr. Travis Legleiter of the University of Kentucky and will also feature Dr. Fred Whitford from Purdue University.

The event is set to be held from 8:30 AM to 4 PM (CT) on July 17, with registration beginning at 8 AM. Pre-registration is required due to limited space. You may register here. The cost to attend the clinic will be $60 and includes lunch.

The Clinic has been approved for CCA CEU credits and PAT credits have been requested.

Any questions about the spray clinic can be directed to Dr. Travis Legleiter (Travis.Legleiter@uky.edu).

By Travis Legleiter, Extension Weed Specialist

Variety Trial Flower Garden at the Extension Community Building. Stop by to see.

SAVE THIS DATE: September 10, 2018 Rinse and Return Program Monday, September 10, 2018 GreenPoint AG LLC Hardinsburg, KY 40143 9 a.m. –11 a.m. (ct) Remember to triple rinse the chemical jugs before bringing them to the farm store.

11

MONTHLY TIP

Though it may reduce the number of times you have to mow, cutting your grass short is harmful in the lawn in

the long run. Mowing with a low blade height removes nutrients stored in the leaf blades and exposes the soil

to sunlight, allowing weeds to take hold easily. Remove no more than 1/3 of the leaf blade in one mowing is a

good rule of thumb.

12

Stop by one of the following recycling centers near you:

Breckinridge County High School Cloverport Fire Department Auggie Doggie’s, Garfield

St. Romuald Gym, Hardinsburg McQuady Firehouse

Breckinridge County Extension Office Rough River Corp of Engineers Office

McDaniels Community Center Frederick Fraize High School, Cloverport

Hardinsburg Elementary School Union Star

All recycling sites are accessible 24 hours a day,

seven days a week.

The Cooperative Extension Service prohibits discrimination in its programs and employment on the basis of race, color, age, sex, religion, disabil-

ity, or national origin.

To file a complaint of discrimination, contact Tim West, UK College of Agriculture, 859-257-3879; Terry Allen or Patty Bender, UK Office of

Institutional Equity and Equal Opportunity, 859-257-8927; or the USDA, Director Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W Whitten Bldg., 14th & Inde-

pendence Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 (202-720-5964).

Mark your calendars,

If you are interested in any of these events, call the Extension Office at 270-756-2182 for more information.

June 28, 2018– Grayson County Beef Field Day—St. Clair Angus Farm—Falls of Rough, KY—4 p.m. (ct) July 24, 2018– UK Soybean, Corn ,Tobacco Field Day—Princeton Research & Education Center, Princeton August 7, 2018– KFGC Western KY Field Day –LaCenter, KY September 20, 2018– Beef Bash– Princeton Research & Education Center, Princeton September 25-26, 2018– KY Grazing School—Woodford County Extension Office, Versailles, KY

Office Closed —-

The Breckinridge County Extension Office will be closed on:

Wednesday, July 4, 2018—Independence Day

Almanac Tidbits for June:

Plant above ground crops -- 14, 15, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 27

Plant Below ground crops — 1, 5, 6, 10, 11, 28, 29

Transplant ——————— 5, 6, 10, 11

Seed Beds——————— 14, 15, 22, 23, 24

Kill plant pests:————— 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 16-19 25, 26, 30

Wean————————— 1-6, 25-30